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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · fork · straw · object · patient · wound · cabinet · bore

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. bore — to drill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. field — for sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. object — an aim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. object — to protest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — a subject
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com